Archant merges north London news teams leaving historic Ham and High newspaper without its own editor

Share this

The Ham and High newspaper, which has been published for nearly 150 years, no longer has its own dedicated editor after changes to the team at publisher Archant’s north London newsroom.

The paper, officially known as the Hampstead and Highgate Express, and its two slip editions: the Wood and Vale, and the Ham and High Broadway, is now under the editorship of Hackney Gazette editor Ramzy Alwakeel.

The Ham & High’s former editor, Emily Banks, who was at the helm of the paper since late 2016 and has left the company as a result of the changes, said it was “sad” the title, founded in 1872, did not have its own editor.

She said: “It is a historic newspaper and the pride of Archant’s London portfolio. It’s had such a great reputation for so many years and now it doesn’t even have its own editor or its own news team.”

Banks said editing the weekly paper, where she first launched her career as a reporter, had been her “dream job”, adding: “I was editor of my local paper that I grew up with. It was more than just a job, it was my passion.”

Editorial staff are understood to be remaining in north London, but will no longer be on patch for the Ham and High. The new office, in Newington Green, will put the team on the border of Islington and Hackney.

The Ham and High has a weekly circulation of about 8,000, of which more than 5,000 are free copies, according to ABC figures to the end of December 2017.

Explore these topics

5 thoughts on “Archant merges north London news teams leaving historic Ham and High newspaper without its own editor”

The New European must be the only Archant title which still has a dedicated editor. Funny that…
Seriously, though, when you look at Archant’s weekly sales figures – not just in north London but also its heartland – none of them can be long for this world, even if the company disposes of its valuable land bank. Any news on the fate of Prospect House?